"A guilty man set free on the account of another, is that justice? No that’s grace" Caleb & Sol

17 July 2016

THE NARROW ROAD OF BLESSING

Psalm 1:1-6

DO YOU REALIZE THAT WE
ARE A BLESSED PEOPLE? I think we need to
stop and ponder that truth in how blessed we really are!

I’m blessed to have a personal relationship with the
living God.

I’m blessed to be able to share and teach His
wonderful Gospel.

I’m blessed with the privilege to expound His awesome
glory to you.

I’m blessed to have a wonderful Christian wife, who
puts up with me in all my perfections…I mean imperfections! LOL.

I’m blessed to have 6 healthy children who I love with
all my heart.

I’m blessed to have you as my family here at Calvary
Baptist Church.

I’m blessed to be able to see, hear, touch and smell things
that God created for His glory and purposes.

I’m blessed to be just simply alive today.

What about you? What would your list
be? As one writer said “Enjoy the blessings
of this day…” But sadly our blessings turn
into sorrow for many of us. The things of this world drown out those blessing when
we turn on the TV or read a newspaper. And worse we allow this world to get us bogged down with
all the overwhelming stories of tragedy, loss and so on…..losing focus of
Christ and His goodness in our lives. And usually ten
times out of ten we miss the blessing that God had for us. Sometime it isn’t the world though; it can be our
focus on self! Those other things that interest us and we tend not to
see the blessings of this day. But listen to Corrie
Ten Boom; she said “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If
you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at
rest.. We need to
stop and smell the roses from time to time. Humble
ourselves and understand true happiness and blessing depends on the true riches
found in God’s grace, not in earthly pursuits or anything that takes our eyes
off of Christ. We come to this Psalm and right out the
gates the writer pens these joyful and happy words! “Blessed is the man”(v1a). By definition“blessed” or better translated “blessednesses”is someone who has a deep seated joy, someone who is
happy, a contentment that can be only found in the Gospel, the redeeming work
of the cross? In fact, in the Hebrew the word actually is plural, which denotes
either a multiplicity of blessing or an amplification of them “blessednesses”.

We are a blessed
people!This verse literally
means“oh, the happiness” or “O the blessedness of that man " Blessed is the man or woman when you are walking in
the riches of His grace and mercy….. rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What does that look
like! JESUS SAID "Blessed
are the poor in
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be
comforted.Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they shall be filled.Blessed
are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall
see God.Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called sons of God.Blessed
are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven."Blessed are you when they
revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My
sake.Rejoice
and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matt 5:3-12. As one writer puts it “To love God is the greatest of virtues; to be loved by God is the
greatest of blessings.” And though we are
extremely blessed we also see a warning
to the Christian! Something that we are to be aware of or precede with
caution. There are 3 postures that do not lead to
blessing but trouble for your soul. Three warnings that a blessed man/woman
should always flee from or don’t entertain on a day by day basis as they persevere
by faith down the narrow road of His righteousness! So what are they? The answer is found
in the remaining words of this verse (v1b)

YOU WILL NOT WALK IN THE
COUNSEL OF THE UNGODLY (THE UNREGENERATE MAN OR WOMAN)

“Walking” denotes a choice, a
continuance of action! Which means: a genuine Christian
doesn’t listen to, or put into practice (associate in their evil doings) or
take advice from ungodly people! We are to walk by faith and listen to the counsel of
the Living God. Jer 17:7 “Blessed is
the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD.” Why? The counsels of the
ungodly are the ones who leave God out of everything. They are the ones who have no fear of God before their
eyes. This is a type of person that lives if God doesn’t
exist. We are not to walk with such a people, we are to step
aside! This doesn’t mean we can’t be around them or associate
with them. BUT IT DOES MEAN we are not to follow in their
footsteps ungodly living. As Jesus said“Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if
the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch." Matt 15:14

YOU WILL NOT STAND IN THE PATH OF SINNERS

“Stand” gives the idea of
settled residence as the way of open sinners who wilfully violate God’s
commandments. These are the type of people who don’t quit live as
they should. They are comfortable in their sin. It’s like the person Peter describes in
his letter“They have forsaken
the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved
the wages of unrighteousness;” 2 Peter 2:15. This could be a religious person, a nominal Christian
professing but not a possessing Christian. It’s the type of person that knows that they’re
sinners and don’t care because they think they have the fire insurance under
the blanket of love and grace. They are the kind of
person the Bibles speaks of when it says….“There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” Prov 14:12

Prov 16:2“All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the spirits.”

1 John 2:18-19 says “Little children, it
is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now
many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They
went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they
would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made
manifest, that none of them were of us.” We are not to stand with those who take delight in
their sin which means in their manner of conversation....or lifestyle and
choices.

YOU WILL NOT SIT WITH THE
SCORNFUL

“Sit” a planting posture or
association or incorporation of themselves with a group of people. Who are the Scoffers? A person who are not only diseased, but
reject, despise, and scorn all remedies and truth. A person who mocks sin and could care less about God’s
threatening and judgements against sinners. It’s the“Where is your God” mentality. A person who mocks wholesome correction and counsels
and make their business to scoff at goodness and good men and women. We love Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber because they
are great examples for our culture…..but those Tim Tebows we can’t have them
trouble makers. Scoffers….which really are
haters of God and anyone associated with Him (the true Church). As Vernon McGee said “the drunkard in the
gutter today is not nearly as low as the man who denying God.” See if you’re that kind of person here today! I’m here
to plead with you that God is displeased with this kind of behaviour in your
life. Why?“Judgments are
prepared for scoffers, And beatings for the backs of fools.” Prov 19:29. The Word of God also says “God will scorn the scornful” Prov 3:34

What does that mean? He will expose you for
who you truly are! A fool who is lost and will face the wrath of God one day
because you refuse to submit to Him. God’s children are
neverto associate or accompany
these types of people. We are to love them with the Gospel, BUT NEVERwalk.....stand...or sit with those who spit in the face of the Living God and His
blessed Gospel.

SEE A BLESSED MAN OR WOMAN IS
SOMEONE WHO IS DEEPLY IN LOVE WITH CHRIST AND HIS WORD! (v2)

It’s impossible to visualize a happy
man or woman who is not a man or a woman of God’s word. It’s that deep rooted
hunger and thirst for the word of God ...they love the bible and the
God of it. They love it so much they can’t put it down! “It’s his delight”
to them not a duty. Delight means: something that
is a desire, a pleasure, something you do willingly. Not only does he delightsin God’s Word but he “meditates
day and night” Meditates implies a deep and
serious thoughtfulness about something. That why it says “day and night”
Something to ponder and think about! A great picture of
this is the cow! Mediate is a very figurative word.....It pictures a
cow chewing it cud. A cow has several compartments in their tummy. A cow can go out in the morning, graze on the grass
when the dew is on it in the cool of the day. Then when it gets hot in the
middle of the day, she lies down under a tree and begins to chew the cud. She moves the grass they had in the morning back up
and she masticates it, she goes over it again.

THAT’S WHAT WE ARE TO
DO WHEN WE READ THE WORD OF GOD. We are to read it, ponder it, think about it and live it
daily. When you read God’s
word ask ourselves these questions. Questions that
I found might help you by DesiringGod.org

What did I learn about God?

How do these verses help me fight my sin?

How was my heart stirred for Jesus?

Let me ask you
something that only you can answer! Do you hold the word of God that way in your life as a
treasure or delight to pick up and meditate on? As Job did? “I have not departed
from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more
than my necessary food.” Job 23:12. Parents do your children see
God’s word as a blessing to you or a burden to bear? If you can’t answer that question then look to your
kids and see what they say about your devotion to this book. Church familywhat is consuming the
most of your time on a day to day basis? Is it God and His precious word or is it consumed with
your fleshly desires and passions, stubbornness, outward religion that leads a
person down the broad road to HELL?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE GRIPPED BY THE GLORY OF
GOD?

To have the privilege to hold the spoken words of God
in our sinful hands and say “this is my greatest delight!” This is a book for us to read as we wait until He
calls us home. This is a book that speaks about the glory of God and
awesomeness that He is. This book is something that brings us closer and into
a deeper relationship with Him. Do you realize you can serve the
church all your life........attend all the meetings......come to all the prayer
nights and bible studies and still be lost? If you’re not picking
up the Bible and reading His God breathed words for yourself, then you’re
only hurting yourself. The same hurt that Jesuswarned the Pharisee’s, because He knows the heart of each and
every one of us here in this sanctuary as He did them.

“You search
the Scriptures, for in them you think
you have eternal life...........” John 5:39. See, God doesn’t want your head knowledge; He wants
your heart and your devotion. D.L Moody said"The
Scriptures were not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives”. God wants our devotion be towards to Him out of love
not duty. God wants to see you find blessing as you read His
words........without huffing and puffing! God wants you to be blessed by falling deeper in love
with Him.........not resentful and bitter because you have to sacrifice some of
your precious time for Him. God demands and deserves more than an hour a week or
10 minutes at best every day of your time. Why? A. W Tozer said"I did not go
through the Book. The Book went through me."

SO WHAT DOES A PERSON WHO DELIGHTS
AND MEDITATES ON GOD’S WORD DAY AND NIGHT LOOK LIKE?

The answer is found in (v3) ThePsalmist gives
us a great picture of what that looks like!A tree that is deeply rooted and planted in the ground
in the Word of God.The word of God is…… our river....our food....or lifeline
that leads to righteous and ultimately our home. Isaiah wrote“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return
there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the
sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” Isa 55:10-11. (v3) is a beautiful
picture of our salvation! A tree doesn’t
plant itself.....it needs someone to plant it. That’s the Gospel! God justifies you and
saves and secures you and sanctifies (sets you apart) for Himself as you walk
the narrow road to glory. That‘s what draws us to His word and to our knees
everyday........ The saving grace found in the Gospel. THERE ARE TWO THINGS THE WORD OF GOD DOES TO A PERSON! The word of God will always transform and cause you to
grow deeper in love. Or it will cause you to be angry, resentful and hater
of God. Why? Because you love your sin.

THERE ARE TWO
ROADS THAT A PERSON CAN WALK ON IN THIS LIFE!

There is one
road

that leads to destruction which is God’s wrath for
your sin for all eternity.......separated from the One who gives you air to
breath and a chance to be saved by the Gospel (v5-v6)

The second road

is narrow that can be very hard at times (because you
will stumble) but you will always get up and move forward down that narrow road
that leads you to glory. (v1-v2) The narrow road is the person who desires the things
of God, despite what happening… in or around us. The narrow road is a person who seeks God’s counsel
not this world. The narrow road person doesn’t walk, stand or sit with
sinners as they await judgement from a holy and just God. The narrow road that delights and mediates on His
word; because He is the most important person in the entire universe. My prayer for us is that we will be strong
trees feeding on His goodness, grounded in the written word, as we walk this
narrow road into glory.

How? By….

Embrace Him

Love Him

Delight in Him

Walk......stand...and
sit in Him

Be content and happy
in Him

Believe in Him and
live for Him as you’re pearl of great price.

As MasterCard
commercial would say “priceless” Because “He’s priceless”

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Quote of the Week

"Radical obediance to Christ is not easy; it is dangerous. It is not smooth sailing aboard a luxury liner; it is sacrificial duty aboard a troop carrier. It's not comfort, not health, not wealth, and not prosperity in this world. Radical obediance to Christ risks losing all these things. But in the end, such risk finds its reward in Christ. and He is more than enough for us." David Platt

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Verse of the Week

2 Timothy 2:8-14"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us toa holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.Follow the pattern of the soundwords that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you."ESV

Listen Up! Pastor's

John MacArthur says . . . " There seems almost no limit to what modern church leaders will do to entice people who aren't interested in worship and preaching. Too many have bought the notion that the church must win people by offering an alternative form of entertainment. Just how far will the church go in competing with Hollywood? A large church in the southwestern United States has installed a half-million dollar special-effects system that can produce smoke, fire, sparks, and laser lights in the auditorium. The church sent staff members to study live special effects at Bally's Casino in Las Vegas. The pastor ended one service by ascending to "heaven" via invisible wires that drew him up out of sight while the choir and orchestra added a musical accompaniment to the smoke, fire, and light show. It was just a typical Sunday show for that pastor: "He packs his church with such special effects as ... cranking up a chain saw and toppling a tree to make a point ... the biggest Fourth of July fireworks display in town and a Christmas service with a rented elephant, kangaroo and zebra. The Christmas show features 100 clowns with gifts for the congregation's children."Shenanigans like that would have been the stuff of Spurgeon's worst nightmares. And even Tozer could not have foreseen the extreme to which evangelicals would go in paying homage to the great god Entertainment. "

What does it mean to live a cross centered life?by Pastor Mike AndrewsWe as Christians know that there is only one road to take. The Bible say's "wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it" (Matt 7:13). Why is there so many people who profess Jesus Christ taking this road? (Phil 3:19) "Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things". The Bible say's the wide road leads to destruction. Which means eternally separated from a HOLY and Sovereign GOD. There is ony one road for GENUINE Christian. And it's the narrow road. A life that is: 1) Self denial2) Caring your cross daily3) Desiring the things of God4) Hating the things that God hates5) Submission and obedience6) Holy living7) Expects any kind of persecution.(Mat 10:22) and you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved(1 John 3:13) Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.A.W. Tozer says "The true follower of Christ will not ask, "If I embrace this truth, what will it cost me?" Rather he will say, "This is truth. God help me to walk in it, let come what may!" (1Pet 4:16-17) Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?We must stand strong in the Gospel of Christ. Holding to His promise of eternal life.
1. A Cross Centered life never is ashamed of His Gospel, for which He suffers,
2. A Cross Centered Life is never ashamed of the name he bears (Christian)
3. Nor of the punishment he endures, but let US, as OUR Lord and Master did, endure the cross.

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." John Piper"Alan Redpathhad two daughters who loved to swarm him when he came home at night. As he came in the door one evening, his little girls ran to meet him. One grabbed his leg and hugged him with all her might. He snatched the other daughter up in his arms. The one squeezing his leg said, "Now, I've got all of Daddy." The daughter in his arms replied, "Yes, but Daddy has got all of me!" Perhaps the question we need to continually ask is, "Does God have all of me?" Alan Redpath

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Welcome Message

"Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE") Gal 3:13. That's why as the great puritan once said "I preach as a dying man,to dying men. Richard Baxter...."